The Gospel of Judas

What is The Gospel of Judas?

The Gospel of Judas was a book estimated to have been written around 280-320AD(Some people even have dated it to 400AD. So Judas couldn't have written the book, it was discovered in a cave in Egypt in the 1970s[1]. 

The book consists of conversations between Jesus and the apostles, but there is a large twist. In the book, Judas is portrayed as a good person, the wisest of the apostles, and Jesus' best friend while the other apostles are seen as fools. On several occasions, it is even seen that Jesus makes fun of and even laughs at the apostles. For example, "But when Jesus noticed their ignorance..." (The Gospel of Judas, Chapter 3[Another Generation]). "His disciples said to him, "Lord, what great generation is better and holier than us, that's not in these realms?" Now when Jesus heard this, he laughed..." (The Gospel of Judas, Chapter 3[Another Generation]).

In the book, Jesus is also seen asking Judas to betray him, and Judas conceded.

Issues With The Gospel of Judas:

The date and who wrote it is a massive issue. As mentioned earlier,  the Gospel of Judas was written around 280 to 320 AD. However, Judas died around 30AD, so unless he is immortal(which he isn't because the Bible tells us he killed himself, read: Matthew 27:1-5) he couldn't have written the book. Unless the dead can write books now. The actual author of the book is anonymous, so we don't even know or are certain who wrote the book. It is theorized that Gnostics wrote the tale because it adheres to their theology, but we honestly don't know.

It also contradicts the rest of scripture, as Christians, we believe that the Bible is timeless and flawless; if it has contradictions, it cannot be considered canon. Here is an example of one of the many contradictions present:

First of all, the book claims that an angel was the one who created mankind. However, as we all know, the book of Genesis claims God created mankind(Genesis 1:27). The gospel of Judas says this, "'Then Saklas said to his angels, 'Let's create a human being after the likeness and the image.' And they fashioned Adam and his wife Eve, who in the cloud is called 'Life,' because by this name all the generations seek him, and each of them calls her by their names"' (The Gospel of Judas, Chapter 6[Jesus Reveals Everything to Judas]).

Secondly, as we all know Eve was formed when God took one of Adam's ribs. The Gospel of Judas claims otherwise. "'Then Saklas said to his angels, 'Let's create a human being after the likeness and the image.' And they fashioned Adam and his wife Eve, who in the cloud is called 'Life,' because by this name all the generations seek him, and each of them calls her by their names"' (The Gospel of Judas, Chapter 6[Jesus Reveals Everything to Judas]). As we can see, in this story, Eve was made with Adam at the same time. 

Irenaeus and The Book:

Many when trying to claim the Gospel of Judas is canonical is by saying Irenaeus spoke about it, the only problem being Irenaeus actually condemned the book, not praised it or believed it was canonical. In his book, Against Heresies, he writes, "They(i.e. gnostics) declare that Judas the traitor was thoroughly acquainted with these things, and that he alone, knowing the truth as no others did, accomplished the mystery of the betrayal; by him all things, both earthly and heavenly, were thus thrown into confusion. They produce a fictitious(i.e. fake) history of this kind, which they style the Gospel of Judas" (Against Heresies ch.31, cite below)[2].

Works Cited:

Britannica, T. Editors of Encyclopaedia (2020, April 7). Gospel of Judas. Encyclopedia Britannica. https://www.britannica.com/topic/Gospel-of-Judas 

 Translated by Alexander Roberts and William Rambaut. From Ante-Nicene Fathers, Vol. 1. Edited by Alexander Roberts, James Donaldson, and A. Cleveland Coxe. (Buffalo, NY: Christian Literature Publishing Co., 1885.) Revised and edited for New Advent by Kevin Knight. <http://www.newadvent.org/fathers/0103131.htm>.